That’s why when I plan visits to Detroit now I try to eat at some of my old favorites and try a few of the newer places. This list, while obviously not comprehensive, is indicative of that and is a good starting point if you’re trying to figure out where to eat in Detroit.

Sides at Slows Bar B Q

Slows is probably the most famous restaurant in Detroit and was one of the first places to open in the Corktown neighbor during the city’s so called renaissance. And though it may be one of the older “new Detroit” restaurants, it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. The place is still packed on most nights and new locations are popping up around Michigan. Slows does BBQ of all kinds and in many iterations, including by the pound, on sandwiches, and even in quesadillas. While the meat isn’t bad, the sides stole the show for me. Make sure you save room for plenty of mac-n-cheese, sweet potato mash, and pit smoked pork and beans. You won’t be disappointed.

Website | 2138 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, MI 48216 | 313-962-9828

Anything at Leo’s Coney Island

So much of the coverage of the Detroit coney scene focuses on the battle between Lafayette and American, and while Lafayette is good for a simple coney dog, my coney island allegiance is to Leo’s. A local chain started in 1972 by brothers Leo and Peter Stassinopoulos, Leo’s Coney Island serves up the traditional coney menu along with Greek favorites and all day breakfast. I usually order lemon rice soup and chili cheese fries, but they also have great gyros, omelets, coney dogs, and, of course, Greek salads. If you are in Metro Detroit and don’t hear, you’re stupid. If you do, send me pics so I can live vicariously though you.

Saganaki for breakfast, obviously.

Website | Multiple locations

Deviled Eggs at Public House

Ferndale, a hip suburb bordering Detroit, is chock full of cool bars and restaurants, including Public House. The decor is decidedly old-school and the menu is full of snacks, small plates, and sliders. While the sliders we had here weren’t bad, the real star was the chicken wing deviled eggs. How do you make a deviled egg better? Add buffalo sauce, that’s how. There’s also a menu of well-priced, creative cocktails and a fair amount of local beer. Public House is the perfect way to get a small taste of hipster Ferndale without spending a ton of cash.

Sunset in Ferndale after visiting PH and not taking any photos. Bad blogger.

Website | 241 W Nine Mile Road, Ferndale, MI 48220 | 248-850-7420

Sliders at Green Dot Stables

Sliders are having a moment right now in Metro Detroit and Green Dot Stables has the best. Located off the main drag in Corktown, you’re probably going to have to wait to try one of the 20 sliders on the menu. There was even a line when I arrived at 11 am on a Monday! But with options ranging from quinoa patties and marinated tempeh burgers to Philly cheesesteaks and fried bologna sandwiches, the wait is worth it. My favorite was the Korean- a beef patty with kimchi and peanut butter. Sounds strange, but like all their combinations, it totally works.

Website | 2200 W Lafayette Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48216 | 313-962-5588

Shawarma and lentil soup at Mr Kabob

Metro Detroit has some of the best Lebanese food in the country, no contest. But would be you believe me if I told you the best Lebanese food in the area was served out of a gas station? And not some hipster converted gas station, it’s an actual Sunoco station and it’s true. It’s mostly a takeout place, but there are a few tables for those wanting to enjoy their lunch in between aisles of chips and anti-freeze. You can’t really order wrong at Mr Kabob, but their lentil soup and shawarma are some of the best I’ve found in about 20 years of taste testing around the area.

The blurriest photo ever because I was too excited to dig in to hold the camera steady, apparently.

Website | 3372 Coolidge Highway, Berkley, MI 48072 | 248-545-4000

Tater tots at Mercury Burger Bar

I can’t actually vouch for the burgers here, but Mercury Burger Bar has some killer tater tots and a long list of local beer so it’s obviously a place you should try. If you’re around during the warmer months try to get a seat on their patio. With bright murals and some picnic tables, this is the place to be in Corktown for some summertime Detroit day drinking.

I dare you order these and not start singing tots tots tots tots to the tune of LMFAO’s Shots.

Website | 2163 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, MI 48216 | 313-964-5000

The Original Olga and snackers at Olga’s Kitchen

Yes, it’s a chain, but it’s also a local institution. Started in 1970 by Olga Loizon, her namesake restaurant serves up some tasty Mediterranean inspired dishes. There is a menu here, but the only things I’ve ever ordered are The Original Olga and snackers. The Original Olga is a gyro made with beef and lamb, tomatoes, onion, and Olgasauce, a type of yogurt sauce and snackers are pieces of seasoned fried pita bread served with swiss almond cheese for dipping. It’s like the fat kids delight and you won’t want to stop eating them. Ever.

Website | Multiple locations

Crack fries and beer at HopCat

HopCat is a small chain of craft beer bars with a few location in Michigan and Indianapolis. In December they opened their Detroit location and became the largest craft beer bar in the state with 130 beers on tap. The vast majority of the beers are from Michigan brewers, a lot of small breweries I’d never heard of, and I had a great night sampling a bunch of new to me IPAs and pale ales that I can’t find in Kentucky. Besides beer, HopCat has a food menu with burgers, sandwiches, and other bar type food. While our mains weren’t anything spectacular, their crack fries, beer battered fries with a black pepper seasoning, with cheese sauce lived up to their addicting name. Order a basket of these to go along with your beers and plan to take an Uber home. You’ll need it after a night here.

Website | 4265 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201 | 313-769-8828

What would you want to eat in Detroit? Anything else you would add to this list?

Everything You Should Eat in Detroit is a post from: Farsickness

As these dishes were heavily Americanized, the food in Greek took these familiar flavors and dishes to a new level. With a focus on fresh, Greek cuisine is stereotypical Mediterranean in a lot of ways. There’s a lot of olive oil, eggplant, zucchini, bread, and fish to be found. Yogurt, honey, filo dough, and various meats are also essential to Greek food. Like in neighboring Turkey, mezze, groups of small dishes, is a popular Greek dining custom.

While the list below is in no way comprehensive, this Greek food guide is a good introduction to some of the most popular dishes (and some of my favorite) you’ll find in the country.

Moussaka

I like to think of moussaka as a Greek lasagna. There’s no pasta to be found, but there are layers of thinly sliced pieced eggplant, meat, and bechamel baked together in a similar fashion. There are a lot of variations of moussaka in modern Greek cuisine, my favorite being when thin slices of potatoes are added.

Gyros

Forget columns and philosophy, gyros are Greek’s greatest contribution to the world. A gyro is spit-roasted meat served in a pita with tomato, onion, and tzatziki. While this in and of itself would be delicious, most places also serve them with french fries inside. Yes, french fries. And it’s spectacular. Gyros shops are on a pretty much every street corner and a sandwich only costs a couple of euros making NOT becoming obsessed a pretty difficult challenge.

Saganaki

The word saganaki can actually refer to many dishes fried in the pan of the same name, but the most famous is fried cheese. Because fried cheese. While many types of cheese can be used to make saganaki, feta and halloumi seemed to be the most common.

Spanakopita

These spinach pies quickly became a favorite of mine. A combination of spinach, feta, scallions, and egg layered inside filo dough and baked, these were the perfect quick, tasty, and cheap lunch. Or mid-afternoon snack. Or dunk snack. They were pretty much just perfect.

Feta

If you think you like feta now, wait until your try it in Greece. Made from sheep’s milk and usually served in a block, this crumbly cheese is one of Greek’s most famous exports and is an ingredient in a lot of its cuisine. I’ve always been so-so with feta, it was something I liked but didn’t love. The feta in Greece, though, was so fresh and light that I found myself eating about half a block every night at dinner.

Horiatiki

Known outside of Greece as Greek salad, this was my favorite way to eat feta while keeping up the illusion of being healthy. Made with chopped tomatoes, sliced cucumber, red onion, and olives, it is then topped with salt, olive oil, oregano, and a lot of delicious feta. This was something I ate every single day while in Greece.

Fava

Not to be confused with fava beans, this is actually a dip made with yellow split peas that is ubiquitous on Santorini. After the split peas are cooked, olive oil, vinegar, and seasoning is added and blended to create a smooth puree that is perfect for dipping pita bread into.

Tzatziki

Made from strained yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, and a little lemon juice, mint, and parsley, tzatziki can be used as a sauce for grilled meat or as a dip. I’m not a fan of yogurt, but found myself slathering tzatziki on just about everything while in Santorini. Served cold, this was a perfect way to feel refreshed in summer.

Dolmadakia

I always associated grape leaves with the Middle East, but they are also very popular in Greece. In Greece dolma refers to the vine leaf stuffed with meat and spices and served with an egg and lemon sauce. Also in the same family of dishes are stuffed peppers, called gemista, which usually contain a meatless rice based filling.

Fresh seafood

With a large coastline and over 6,000 islands it should come as no surprise that seafood is extremely common in Greek cuisine. From whole grilled squid to tiny sardines eaten whole, Greece is a seafood lovers paradise. Not only is it fresh and plentiful, it’s also inexpensive.

What Greek dish sounds the best to you?

The Great Greek Food Guide is a post from: Farsickness

A lot of the food is rich and heavy, but in that good comfort food sort of way. Of course, many dishes contain Hungary’s most famous export- paprika. I’m a huge, huge paprika fan (I even put it in tuna salad) and I eagerly ate every last drip of sauces and soups containing this delicious spice. And Hungary also seems to be a big fan of sour cream. Which, well, is another thing you won’t find me complaining about. The only time I complain about sour cream is when there’s a lack of it. I’m looking at you Korea.

Here’s what I ate in Budapest. Minus the Quarter Pounder with Cheese I ate hungover at a shopping mall. No judgement, please.

Central Market Hall

What I Tried Here: Lángos

The Central (or Great) Market Hall is a 3 floor market selling everything from spices and salami to souvenirs and spirits. On the third floor of this historic covered market built in 1897 is an area selling a variety of prepared Hungarian classics. Though it is crowded with mostly tourists, this is a good place to get your bearings when it comes to Hungarian cuisine and sample a few things.

After a quick pick me up coffee I tried langos, a type of deep fried flat bread that tastes kind of like a savory donut. Langos are usually topped with sour cream and grated cheese, though there were a variety of sweet and savory options on offer at the market. I decided to go with sour cream, cheese, salami, and variety that cost 1,150 Ft (around $5.00). While the combination of sour cream and fried dough sounds like it couldn’t go wrong, it was a little rich for my taste and I felt a serious dairy overload happening. I think I’d try it again, but without the cheese.

1093 Budapest, Vámház körút 1-3. Open Monday 6:00-17:00, Tuesday-Friday 6:00-18:00, and Saturday 6:00-15:00. For more information visit their website.

Kiskakukk Étterem

What I Tried Here: Game

I discovered Kikakukk because it was only a few blocks away from my hostel, always a nice surprise. This restaurant, open since 1913, specializes in game and has an old world feel. I arrived fairly early for dinner, around 6 or 7, without a reservation. Even though the restaurant was still nearly empty, they hesitated to seat me and the service throughout my meal felt rushed and almost rude. I suggest making a reservation, especially for dinner.

I started my meal with the goose soup with matzoh balls, a combination of the restaurant’s speciality and of the heritage of Budapest’s Jewish large population. The goose had nice flavor, but the matzoh ball tasted like it had just come out of the microwave. My main, though, was outstanding. I chose the venison stewed in red wine with flat noodles. Venison has recently become one of my favorite proteins and this was cooked perfectly.The sauce was rich and became nicely creamy with a little bit of the sour cream mixed in.

This place is worth a try if you’re in the area, but make sure you book ahead. And maybe stay away from the soups.

1137 Budapest, Pozsonyi út 12. Open everyday 12:00-24:00. Reservations recommended. For more information visit their website.

Fülemüle

What I Tried Here: Chicken Paprikas

Chicken paprikas was a dish I knew I had to try. Made by stewing chicken in a creamy paprika sauce and usually served with small egg noodle dumplings, it is a combination of a lot of my favorite things (cream and carbs being the two big ones). While searching for where I could find the best chicken paprikas in Budapest I found Heather’s post which mentioned Fülemüle and I immediately added it to my itinerary for the next day.

I arrived around midday and the place was nearly empty, but it slowly filled up as I ate. The service here was extremely friendly and my chicken paprikas was every bit as delicious as I’d imagined. The sauce was creamy and a bit spicy, full of the distrinctive flavor of paprika, and the chicken, cooked on the bone for optimum flavor, was very tender. This ended up being my favorite dish of the trip and I’d go back to Budapest just to eat it again!

1085 Budapest, Kőfaragó utca 5. Open Monday-Thursday 12:00-22:00 and Friday-Saturday 12:00-23:00. For more information visit their website.

Hungarikum Bistro

What I Tried Here: Goulash (And More!)

This place was on my list months before my trip to Budapest thanks to a post from my trusted foodie friend Jessica. Though I almost missed out on getting to eat here because I waited until the last minute to make a reservation. Lesson learned. Call a day or two ahead to book a table, especially for dinner. I was able to snag a table right at the beginning of the dinner service on the condition that I only stay for an hour. Being alone I knew that wouldn’t be a problem.

Though this place was filled with mostly foreigners, the food was top notch. They offer a 3 course set menu for a very reasonable 3,900 Ft ($17), but because there was one dish I really wanted to try which was not on the set menu I decided to order a la carte. Which only ended up costing me 600 Ft ($2.60) more anyway.

I started with the most famous of Hungarian dishes, goulash. While we’ve turned goulash into more of a stew abroad, in Hungary it is actually served as a soup. Cooked with pieces of beef and served with small egg noodles called csipetke, the goulash was flavorful and surprisingly filling for a thin soup.

For my main I had the dish I had been dreaming about since reading about it on Jessica’s blog- braided loin of pork served with paprika sauce and bacon-sour cabbage dumplings. And once again, it lived up to all expectations. The pork wasn’t dry and the sauce reminded me of chicken paprikas. There really isn’t much to say about the dumplings cooked with bacon and cabbage because dumplings cooked with bacon speak loudly and clearly for themselves.

The chocolate cake I had for dessert was extremely rich and I could only take about two bites before pushing it far away. I begrudgingly threw back my free palinka shot and made it out shortly before my hour was up, happy and full.

1051, Steindl Imre utca 13. Open everyday 11:30-15:00 and 18:00-23:00. Reservations necessary. For more information visit their website. 

Macesz Huszar

What I Tried Here: Jewish Cuisine

Jews have long called Hungary home. The largest synagogue in Europe (second largest in the world) is located in Budapest and before World War II Jews accounted for nearly a quarter of the city’s population. Because of this there is a rich tradition of Jewish cooking in Budapest and I knew I needed to sample some. While Fülemüle is often considered to be one of the best Jewish restaurants in Budapest, I decided to try somewhere new and ended up at Macesz Huszar, a few blocks away from the Great Synagogue.

Almost everything on the menu looked tempting, but I decided to try something new and ordered the cholent. Cholent is a stew containing meat, beans, potatoes, and barley that is usually simmered overnight so that Jews are able to observe the Sabbath by not actually cooking on Saturday. The cholent here is cooked with smoked brisket and served with a goose leg and egg. There was a nice depth of flavor and the brisket gave the whole dish a smokey taste. This hearty dish was the second best food discovery of the trip.

1072 Budapest, Dob utca 26. Open everyday 11:30-24:00. For more information visit their website. 

Do you like Hungarian food? What Hungarian dish looks the best to you? 

The Best Bites in Budapest is a post from: Farsickness

What did I discover? That Polish food is simple, but full of flavor. It is hearty. It is delicious. Potatoes and cabbage, two of my favorite foods, feature heavily, as does sausage. There are a lot of similarities with other eastern and central European countries, but all with their own Polish flair.

This guide, while far for comprehensive, can help you eat your way through Poland.

Popular Polish Dishes

Pierogi

Probably the most famous of all Polish dishes, pierogi are a type of dumpling that can be either savory or sweet. Potato, sauerkraut, cheese, meat, and fruit are the most common fillings, but many eateries offer different and more creative options including things like goat cheese. I grew up eating frozen pierogi as an afternoon snack and was excited to be able to try the real thing in Poland. And try them I did. While there weren’t any variation that I didn’t like, my favorite were the pierogi ruskie, filled with potato and cottage cheese, and topped with a large dollop of sour cream.

Bigos

Bigos is a meat and cabbage stew that is popular in many eastern European countries. Also known as hunter’s stew, bigos is made of cabbage, sauerkraut, mushrooms, tomatoes, and some kind of meat, the most common being kielbasa. It is most often served with a side of rye bread or mashed potato. This is a hearty, filling dish that would be perfect on a cold night.

Golabki

Known in English as stuffed cabbage, golabki are rolls made by wrapping slightly boiled cabbage around ground beef or pork, onions, and rice and then baking it all in a tomato sauce. Golabki are an important dish in Poland, often served around Christmastime and at weddings, and were rumored to have been served to the Polish army before a battle in the Thirteen Years War. A battle they won, naturally, after such a hearty meal.

Zapiekanka

Zapiekanka is every American college student’s late night food desire. Even if they’ve never heard of it. If they had, they would love it. A halved baguette is topped with cheese and toasted before other toppings and dressings are piled on. The possibilities are endless. I had one with kielbasa, fried onion, pickles, and garlic sauce (8 zloty, about $2.50) which was absolutely glorious. Future food truck endeavor? Possibly.

Barszcz

More commonly known in English as borscht, this beetroot soup that originated in Ukraine is also popular in Poland. Borscht is a staple in many eastern European countries and each one puts their own little spin on things. In Poland borscht is made, at its simplest, with red beetroot, onion, and garlic. Oftentimes it is also boiled with other vegetables such as carrots or turnips. One version I tried even contained tiny meat filled dumplings. A small cup or bowl of borscht became a favorite of mine over my week in Poland. The warmth and depth of flavor were a nice way to start a meal without being too filling.

Zurek

Another Polish soup, this one is made of soured rye flour and meat and often topped with a hard boiled egg. I stupidly managed to try this only once, in the cafeteria at Auschwitz of all places, and was immediately a fan. Though the broth is thin, the flavors are big and the egg and side of bread provided some nice sustenance. I can only imagine what this would taste like at a proper restaurant.

Placki Ziemniaczane

These Polish potato pancakes are made of shredded potato, flour, and eggs and can be eaten in a variety of ways with different toppings, both sweet and savory. This dish dates back to the 17th century when it was a staple at Polish monasteries. Today they are usually served with goulash (my favorite), sour cream, apple sauce, or mushroom sauce.

Obwarzanek

This ring shaped bread that resembles a large donut is a Krakow staple, it even has Protected Geographical Indication in the EU. The bread is boiled then baked and topped with salt, poppy, or sesame seeds. Though it looks like a bagel, the texture is decidedly different and the taste is slightly sweeter. Obwarzanek have been sold in Krakow for over 600 years and can still be found for sale at countless carts in the city center.

Paczki

In Metro Detroit, where I grew up and where there is a large group of people of Polish descent, Fat Tuesday is known as Paczki Day. Long lines form at bakeries, especially in Hamtramck, as people buy boxes of these pastries to celebrate the last day before Lent. What is a paczki (pronounced kind of like pawnchki)? Well, it’s really similar to a jelly donut, but richer. Paczki are deep fried pieces of dough filled with fruit preserves or cream and topped with powdered sugar, icing, or orange zest. After growing up eating these at least once a year I was excited to try them in Poland and was even more excited when I discovered that the Metro Detroit version seems to be a pretty authentic one.

Where to Eat in Warsaw

Pierogarnia na Bednarskiej

This place is recommended all over the Internet as the best pieorgi in Warsaw. Though I had better pierogi in Krakow, the ones here were still very good. My favorite part about Pierogarnia na Bednarskiej is that they offer half portions meaning you can try more varieties! I had the ruskie and some filled with mushrooms and sauerkraut. While I’m usually a big fan of cheese and potato filled pierogi, the ones here were a bit heavy while the mushroom and sauerkraut had the perfect amount of bite to them along with a nice variation in texture.

Bednarska 28/30. Open everyday 12:00-20:00. For more information visit their website. 

Bar Mleczny Familijny

This recommendation is more for the experience rather than the quality of the food. Bar mleczny, or milk bars, are a type of Polish cafeteria. Serving cheap but hearty dishes, milk bars reached the height of their popularity during the country’s Communist days. Now their numbers are dwindling, but Familijny remains true to its old self on a street now taken over by Starbucks and expensive foreign food. Milk bars serve Polish classics and once they are out of a dish they are out for the day. I arrived near closing time and most things were sold out so I settled on a plate of bigos and mashed potatoes for a whopping 7.80 zloty. That’s $2.50. So while it wasn’t world class, it was still tasty and cheap. Even worth getting yelled at for taking photos.

Nowy Świat 39. Open Monday-Friday 7:00-20:00 and Saturday 9:00-17:00.

Cukiernia Pawłowicz

If you’re looking for the best paczki in Warsaw, then look no further. This place is so popular, with both tourists and locals, that there is usually a line. But a line is a good thing here because it means the paczki are made fresh and served hot. The menu is in Polish, so I tried my best at pronouncing whatever appeared to be the name of the classic paczki and was pleased- a piping hot, sugar coated pastry filled with a rich fruit jam.

Where to Eat in Krakow

Pierozki U Vincenta

I ate a lot of pierogi in Poland and the pierogi here were by far my favorite. I had the pierogi ruskie with bacon and a mug of their borscht. The dumpling skin wasn’t too thick, something that had bothered me about the pierogi at other places, and the filling was rich but not too heavy. They were so I good to got a few to go for my long distance bus to Budapest that night.

Bożego Ciała 12. Open everyday 11:00-21:00. For more information visit their website.

Milkbar Tomasza

A modern milkbar near Rynek Glowny, Tomasza serves delicious Polish food at a great price. There’s a set lunch menu everyday that includes a soup and entree for 18 zloty, but nothing struck my fancy so I ordered a plate of fried chicken livers, boiled potatoes, and cabbage. It was easily my favorite meal in Poland – the liver was perfectly cooked with a lot of flavor, the prices were cheap, and  the service was friendly.

Ulica Tomasza 24. Open Monday-Saturday 8:00-22:00 and Sunday 9:00-22:00.

Polakowski

Polakowski is a small chain of self service restaurants around Krakow. While the food isn’t out of this world, it can be a good place to try some classic Polish dishes. You order from the counter and then your food is brought to you when it is ready. Once you’re done, don’t forget to clear your table and bring your dishes to the window that looks into the kitchen. I had a huge portion of golabki and a large beer for about $5.

Multiple locations. For more information visit their website. 

Pod Baranem Restauracja

I try to go to at least one “nicer” place in each city I visit and after reading about Pod Baranem in the Guardian I decided to give it a try. The wait staff has been trained at a waiters’ school (though peculiarly, it is male only) and the service is attentive and helpful. I started with a bowl of borscht with uszka, tiny pork filled dumplings, which was delicious. I made a poor, hurried last minute decision after what I originally wanted for my main course was sold out and chose duck breast with mashed potatoes. The duck was fine, but nothing special, but the mashed potatoes had definitely been microwaved. The szarlotka, Polish apple cake, with vanilla sauce was a perfect finish. Overall, it was a decent enough, reasonably priced meal. And I got a free shot of homemade fruit vodka with my bill.

św. Gertrudy 21. Open everyday 12:00-23:00. Reservation recommended. For more information visit their website.

What’s your favorite Polish dish? What Polish food sounds the best to you? 

The Lowdown on Polish Food is a post from: Farsickness

Din Tai Fung in Taipei might be touristy, but it’s damn good.

In addition to thinking about how I find places to eat while traveling, I also thought about the myths that pervade travel blogs and guide books about how to find the perfect place to eat abroad and how those myths aren’t really true.

Is there a surefire way to find the perfect meal when you are on the road? No, there isn’t. But don’t let these myths fool you again.

1. English menu = tourist trap 

This is probably my favorite of the travel dining myths. People assume that if you are handed a menu in English that it is a tourist restaurant, catering to the palettes of foreigners without much care, and that no local person would ever dream of setting foot in that restaurant. Yeah sure, this can be the case, especially if you sit down at at a restaurant in the main square of whatever major European city you’re visiting, but oftentimes an English menu just means there is an English menu.

My favorite English menu of all time. At Saemaeul Sikdang in Seoul.

In major cities around the world that are tourists and expats and other non-native language speaking people that frequent restaurants. A lot of these restaurants create English speaking menus to help these people. An English menu doesn’t mean they are catering only to tourists. It might just mean they want to help the random foreigner who turns up. There were plenty of places that I ate at repeatedly in Korea that had English menus where I never saw another foreigner over 2 years of eating there and had really good food.

AN ENGLISH MENU IN TOKYO AT A RESTAURANT WHERE I WAS THE ONLY FOREIGNER.

Just the presence of an English menu is not the sole test of a restaurant being good or bad.

2. It’s filled with locals so it must be good 

Have you been to an Applebee’s in a small town in the United States? Or to McDonald’s on a Saturday afternoon in Europe? These places are filled with locals. I’m talking lines out the door, 40 minute wait for a table on a Tuesday evening packed with people who live there crowded. Are Applebee’s and McDonald’s wonderful restaurants that you would recommend to someone visiting? Hell no.

Filled with locals AND delicious in Yangon.

Just because you are in Germany and every person in the place is German doesn’t necessarily mean that it is going to be a great meal. Germans, like most everyone else, don’t go out to phenomenal, local cuisine serving restaurants every time they dine. The restaurant is most likely filled with Germans because you’re in Germany.

Relatedly, if there a couple other tables of tourists it doesn’t necessarily mean that the restaurant is going to be absolutely terrible because there are foreigners there. They probably also saw this place on TripAdvisor, too.

3. It’s  in __________ (insert culinary renowned country here) so it’s obviously amazing 

I find this myth to be especially prevalent in places like France and Italy, places that are well known around the world for having good food. People assume they can just waltz into any old brasserie or trattoria and be served a world class meal. Because they are in France, duh.

Fabulous food in England, a country not known for its culinary achievements.

I can’t tell you how many times I had bad food in Rome due to my lack of planning or general laziness. Microwaved lasagna and overcooked noodles swimming in pre-made sauce happen in Italy too.

There are shit restaurants everywhere. Even in countries with a boatload of Michelin stars.

So, how do you find a good place to eat when you are traveling abroad? 

Finding a great meal while traveling isn’t always easy. Sometimes it can be hard to find a place to eat after a long day of sightseeing. Sometimes you rely on a less than stellar recommendation from the person at your hostel or hotel. Sometimes it seems like every person on TripAdvisor must only eat Spaghetti-O’s when at home if they though that was a good meal.

But there are some ways you can weed through the bad from the food.

1. Stay away from main squares and tourist sites 

This is an oldie but goodie piece of travel dining advice that usually rings true. There are some exceptions of course (Roscioli in Rome, for example), but for the most part: do not eat in the main square or near huge tourist attractions. These places are generally tourist traps serving crap food at high prices. While it can be nice to sit in a big piazza and people watch on a nice day, if I want to do this I’ll sit there with a (still overpriced) beer or coffee instead of wasting my money and time on a subpar meal.

Walked down some side streets in Paris and found this amazing lunch spot.

2. Ask for recommendations from people with similar food opinions 

You know your friend who eats dinner four nights a week at the pub down the road you can’t stand, or your boss who only likes boneless, skinless chicken breasts? They might have been in Paris or Bangkok or Rio last year, but don’t ask them for restaurant recommendations. While they might wax nostalgic about the most amazing carbonara they had in Rome, if you don’t like what they eat when they are home, you probably won’t like what they eat while traveling. Instead, ask around for the opinion of people you trust food wise. I have a list of friends, acquaintances, and bloggers that I know I can always reach out to when I’m looking for good grub in a new city.

Recommendation from a friend in Budapest.

3. Check out local food blogs

This is my new favorite way of discovering places to eat when I’m traveling. Most (but not all) food bloggers are people who have spent a lot of time eating and have a fairly well developed sense of what is good and bad, and since they are local they’ve probably sussed out the options available more than a traveler who is just passing though.

Great curry in Korea found on a food blog.

Before my trip I will Google “city name food blog” and there are usually at least a few English language blogs that pop up. I’ll check out their top rated restaurants or try to find a place they like that serves one of the local dishes I’m keen to try. Like any recommendation, don’t hold it as the absolute truth, but I’ve found local food blogs to be a fantastic starting point for local dining research.

Pizza recommended by a blogger in Rome.

4. Go on a food tour 

These days food tours are popping up in cities around the world. And for good reason. Food tours not only bring you to some spots that are popular with locals, but also give you the history of the dish and its significance to the country or city.

Dumplings on a food tour in Manila.

I’ve been on food tours in Manila, London, and Madrid and left all of them with a full stomach and a better understanding of the place I was visiting. Additionally, your tour guide can be a great resource. After the tour stick around and ask them their recommendation for other places you should eat. I’m sure they will have some ideas.

Bacon sandwich on a food tour in London.

How do you choose where to eat when you’re traveling?

Travel Dining Myths Busted (And How To Eat Well While Traveling) is a post from: Farsickness

Besides the quality of the food, I enjoyed dining in Berlin for two reasons. The first is that Berlin is cheap. You can get a kebab, currywurst, banh mi, or burger for under 5 euro and can sit down in many restaurants for around 10 euro a person. Compared to most other European capitals, there’s a lot of value in Berlin. The second reason is that it’s really to easy to eat alone in Berlin. A lot of places are self service or snack stands and even in restaurants people didn’t seem to bat an eye when I asked for a table for one. As a sometimes solo traveler, this makes eating out a lot nicer.

Back to the food, if you’re looking for something to eat in Berlin, alone or with someone else, here are a few suggestions.

Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebap

Doner kebab is a dish that was brought to Germany by Turkish immigrants and adapted to local tastes. It has become a staple around the country and is an obsession of mine. It shouldn’t come as a surprise then that after checking into my hostel I made a beeline straight to Mustafa’s, what is considered to be one of the best kebabs in Berlin.

While it might seem weird to have high expectations for a meal that is meat shaved from spit and stuffed into a pita with some vegetables and sauce, after hearing so much about Mustafa’s, I did.

And somehow, this kebab managed to not just meet my expectations, but to surpass them. Here they go beyond the basic kebab. There’s the meat,  fresh salad, garlic and hot sauces, but there’s also roasted peppers and potatoes, a sprinkle of feta, and a squirt of lemon, which creates an even deeper combination of flavors and some nice variety in texture. This is the way fast food should be done.

My only regret? That I didn’t go back for another.

Mehringdamm 32, 10961. Open everyday 10 am – 2 am. For more information visit their website.

Si An

With a large Vietnamese immigrant population, Berlin is often considered to be the capital of cheap Vietnamese food in Europe. In her post about food in Berlin, Julika challenged me to see if the food in Berlin stood up to the real stuff in Vietnam. As with any food challenge, I took this very seriously.

Located in Prenzlauer Berg, Si An was an easy walk down wide, tree and cafe lined avenues from my hostel. One of my favorite things about Vietnamese cuisine was cold noodle dishes served with an abundance of fresh herbs, so when I saw bun cha gio on the menu I knew immediately that’s what I would order. Bun cha gio is vermicelli noodles with Thai basil, mint, Vietnamese cilantro, and crushed peanuts topped with a fish sauce based dressing and fried spring rolls. The flavors of Si An were fresh and very reminiscent of the good food I had in Vietnam.

When the waiter noticed I was taking photos of my food, he came over and rearranged the setting so the photo would look nicer. Now that’s good service.

Rykestrasse 36, 10405. Open everyday 12 pm – 12 am. For more information visit their website. 

Co Co Banh Mi Deli

Not wanting to end my Vietnam food challenge after one restaurant, I decided to try Co Co Banh Mi Deli, a recommendation from Waegook Tom. In Vietnamese banh mi means bread, but more commonly refers to the sandwiches made on a baguette that are popular throughout the country. The banh mi sandwich is a fusion between Vietnamese and French ingredients with mayonnaise, pate, pickled vegetables, and fish sauce commonly found as toppings.

At Co Co I went with the classic banh mi which came filled with pork, mayonnaise, pate, tomato, pickled vegetables, cilantro, and a fish sauce based dressing. Though the bread wasn’t exact (a little too soft and airy), the flavors were spot on. And at €4.20 for a sandwich, it’s a great deal.

Rosenthaler Strasse 2, 10119. Open everyday 11 am – 10 pm, except Friday and Saturday when they stay open until midnight. For more information visit their website.

Burgermeister

Burgermeister has an aura of cool around it. Located under the U-bahn tracks in a building that used to house a public bathroom, Burgermeister is known for their delicious burgers and long lines. I’m not usually one to jump in line at a restaurant just because of the hip factor, but this place is also consistently written about as one of the best burgers in Berlin, and as a burger super fan, I had to give this place a try.

Unfortunately, I was a little underwhelmed. The burgers are uniformly cooked to well-done, an enormous pet peeve of mine, and they had that standard burger-in-continental-Europe taste that I can’t really describe but you would instantly recognize if you’ve ever had a sub-par burger in Europe. The jalapenos I had on my chili cheeseburger added a nice kick, but it’s probably not a burger I’d queue up for again.

Why am I adding Burgermeister to a list of of places to eat in Berlin if I didn’t like it that much? Well, it’s a great place to see Berlin’s hipster cool in action and I heard the chili cheese fries are great- maybe you’ll have better luck with those.

Oberbaumstrasse 8, 10997. Open Monday – Thursday 11 am – 3 am, Friday and Saturday 11 am – 4 am, and Sunday 12 pm – 3 am. For more information visit their website.

Schwarzwaldstuben

I wanted to try some actual German food while in Germany so I headed to Schwarzwaldstuben, a restaurant that specializes in southern German cuisine and that is thought by many to have the best schnitzel in Berlin. My flatmate Claire, who is half German and spent part of her childhood living in Bavaria, sent me some ideas on good dishes to try.

I went with Käsespätzle, a kind of casserole made cheese, browned onion, and spätzle, an kind of egg noodle-dumpling hybrid. This is an extremely rich dish, but washed down with a cold beer, it went down nicely. While it’s not exactly cheap, if you’re looking for some good Swabian food in a sea of Asian takeaway, kebab shops, and currywurst stands then Schwarzwaldstuben is probably one of your best bets.

Tucholskystraße 48, 10117. Open everyday 9 am – 12 am. For more information visit their website.

Imapala Coffee

I spotted this place on my way to the U-bahn one morning and in need of my daily caffeine fix, decided to try it out. I ended up having breakfast and coffee there for the next 3 days. The coffee is phenomenal, I’m pretty sure they roast their own beans, and they have a large selection of pastries and bagel sandwiches. I personally really liked the apfeltasche and pain au chocolat.

Besides great coffee, the ambience is part of the appeal of Impala. There’s a minimalistic shabby chic thing going on- think wood, bright colors, and mismatched pillows. There is also a lot of outdoor seating which made for a lovely place to linger over a cappuccino and a book on a spring morning.

There are multiple locations but I frequented the one at Schönhauser Allee 173, 10119. Open everyday 7 am – 8 pm. For more information visit their website.

Rogacki

Rogacki is a deli-cum-food court that has been around since 1928 and doesn’t seem to have changed much since. Opened by a German-Polish family, Rogacki is filled with counters selling every type of sausage imaginable and a wide variety of cheeses, salads, poultry, and fish among other things. Most of the green clad staff seem to have worked here for decades and are friendly, even amid a language barrier. (This is probably the one place in Berlin where no one speaks flawless English.)

I didn’t come to shop, but for a self-service, cafeteria style lunch. I was planning on sausage, but decided to follow the cue of everyone else in front of me in line and ordered a piece of the fried fish and a side of potato salad filled with tiny pickles. The fish, pounded out and fried like schnitzel, was light but filling and considering the number of people passing through here even after lunch time, it’s a crowd pleaser.

Rogacki may be slightly out of the center, but it’s worth a trip for a glimpse into this old world food paradise.

Wilmersdorfer Strasse 145, 10585. Open Monday – Wednesday 9 am – 6 pm, Thursday 9 am – 7 pm, Friday 8 am – 7 pm, and Saturday 8 am – 4 pm. For more information visit their website. 

Konnopke’s Imbiss

Currywurst, cut up sausage topped with curry ketchup, is an iconic dish in Berlin. Created by Herta Heuwer in in Berlin 1949, it is estimated that 70 million currywursts are sold each year in the city. I tried some at Konnopke’s Imbiss, a stand under the U-bahn tracks next to Eberswalder Strasse Station that is consistently ranked as one of the best places currywurst places in Berlin.

The verdict? The sausage was kind of a strange texture, but you can’t go wrong with curry ketchup. Also, the mayonnaise in Germany is some of the best in the world so I won’t object to anything that serves as a vehicle for more of that. Also, I had my currywurst as an early snack before a bus to Warsaw, but I’m guessing this is best as a late night snack after a couple liters of beer.

Schönhauser Allee 44 B, 10435. Open Monday – Friday 9 am – 8 pm and Saturday 11:30 am – 8 pm.

What dish looks the best to you?

Berlin Bites: Where to Eat in the German Capital is a post from: Farsickness

What did I discover?

Tapas

On Friday Lauren from Madrid Food Tour took us on a customized market and tapas adventure in order to introduce us to a time honored Spanish tradition- tapear.

After meeting Lauren in Plaza Mayor (a short walk from our GowithOh apartment), our first stop was the Mercado de San Miguel, a beautiful cast iron building originally built near the turn of the 20th century and recently revamped and reopened as culinary paradise. The market is a mix of stalls selling produce, meat, fish, and other goods, and of small bars and restaurants.

We first went to one such bar for a vermouth (on tap!) as an aperitif. I wasn’t very familiar with vermouth but Lauren explained that it is a fortified wine flavored with different spices and herbs and can be either dry or sweet. Along with our drinks, we nibbled on on skewers of quail egg, salted anchovies, and olives along with campo real, what many consider to be Madrid’s finest olive. Campo real olives are bright green and shiny and have been marinated thyme, garlic, fennel, and oregano. They were incredibly juicy and had a really mild flavor. An enjoyable start.

We then moved onto a stand selling pintxos, small snacks that are popular in northern Spain. Elegantly displayed in cases, there many different things to choose, mostly small pieces of bread with different toppings like cheese, vegetables, olives, or even octopus.. I picked foie gras and caramelized onion because it foi gras is an option I’m always going to choose it.

Leaving the market, we made our way to nearby Meson del Champiñon, literally meaning house of mushrooms. This place is famous for one thing: their mushrooms stuffed with chorizo. While the toothpick setup made them a little difficult to eat, once you got it into your mouth it was worth the struggle to enjoy the combination of flavors. We enjoyed them along with some crispy, salty fried peppers that would serve well as a vegetable alternative to a potato chip, and a caña, what they call a small glass of beer in Spain and a popular accompaniment to tapas.

Next we went to my favorite stop of the tour, Casa Revuelta. This tiny restaurant was packed will old Spaniards throwing their trash straight on the ground. They seemingly serve up only one thing- fried cod. The huge piece came on a toothpick and biting into it was like biting into butter- creamy and rich and salty. Sorry to say it Brits, but it put every piece of fried cod I’ve had here to shame.

After washing down our fish with another caña we walked over to our final stop- a pintxo place. Lauren ordered us up a platter of mixed pintxos, many of which were topped with delicious anchovies, and a common snack of potato chips with anchovies. (Anchovies are big here.)

While everything we tried was delicious, it became apparent soon after starting the tour that when eating in Spain, like in so many other countries, it’s not just about how the food tastes. It is also about enjoying the people you with and enjoying the meal as whole.

Churros

This snack of fried pastry dough (dipped in thick hot chocolate) made for the perfect pit stop on our day of rainy sightseeing. I soon learned from Jessica that there are actually two types of churros, the thin ones and a thicker version called porra, both are prisms with a ridged surface. We ordered some of both kinds and two cups of chocolate to share. I was initially surprised that the churros weren’t covered in sugar. I was expecting something more like an American-style elephant ear. Instead, they are served plain which is actually a good thing as the chocolate was very rich. I only ate a couple before I had to lay off the chocolate, but if you’re a chocoholic then this is the breakfast or snack for you.

Tortilla

Growing up my dad would sometimes make potatoes and eggs in a skillet for breakfast on the weekends. The simple flavors and different textures made me happy. After breakfast I’d eat cold leftover slices for lunch, savoring every last bite. Now, if you’re imagining something flat and round used to make tacos, you might be confused about why I’m talking about potatoes and eggs. But the tortilla of Spain in no way resembles the Mexican tortillas we are so familiar with in North America. Tortilla de patatas or tortilla española is actually a thick omelette made from egg, potato, and onion. It can be served hot or cold and is oftentimes seen as a tapa. We had it as part of our dinner one night- hot, with the eggs slightly runny, on slices of bread.

Croquetas

I’m a firm believer that if you take a bunch of stuff, put it together, and fry it that it’s gonna be pretty damn delicious (this is probably why I love suppli so much), so I knew off the bat that croquetas would be something I would enjoy. Adapted from a French dish, croquetas are, at their most basic, bechamel sauce that is deep fried. It is possible to put pretty much anything in with the bechamel sauce, from seafood or shredded chicken to mushrooms or cheese. Croquetas are a commonly used to get rid of leftovers from the day before. Chop up whatever was for dinner, toss it in with the bechamel, and fry. We tried a few different varieties, but my favorite croquetas were the ones filled with ham or mushrooms, two ingredients that stood up well to the rich, creamy bechamel.

Patatas Bravas

I first became obsessed with patatas bravas in Barcelona. These fried cubes of potatoes were served with an aioli that had me wishing it was appropriate to lick dishes in public. When I saw them on a menu in Madrid I couldn’t wait to be reacquainted with my old lovers. Thus, I was slightly disappointed when I found out that this popular tapa in Madrid isn’t served with that same aioli. Instead, they are topped with a “spicy” tomato sauce. Though they weren’t quite as spectacular as their Catalonian counterparts, I’m never going to be one to turn up my nose at fried potatoes.

Huevos Rotos

Literally meaning broken eggs, this dish of french fries topped with fried eggs with a runny yolk is basically what every hungover person wishes would be delivered to them in bed. Besides french fries and eggs, huevos rotos can include a variety of other toppings. We had ours with jamon serrano (dried ham) that was freshly shaved behind the bar. The salty ham was a perfect contrast to the rich yolk and fries. This is guilty pleasure food at its prime.

Disclaimer: Madrid Food Tour offered me a complimentary tour. As always, all opinions are my own.

What is your favorite Spanish food? What Spanish dish would you most like to try? 

More Than Just Paella: Learning about Spanish Food in Madrid is a post from: Farsickness

Here are a few of the best things that I ate in London this month:

The Shed

Located off the main street near Notting Hill Gate Station, this charming restaurant specializes in local, seasonal British small plates. The menu changes daily but always features a “loosener” cocktail, some small bites, and what they call “slow cooking” and fast cooking”.

Between 3 of us we shared five dishes and a dessert. While there was nothing that was bad, my favorite dish by far was the chorizo, labneh, and kale with crisp bread. The strong flavor of the chorizo was nicely balanced with the smooth, creamy yogurt. I also really enjoyed the paprika cuttlefish (apparently I really like paprika lately) with black beans, almonds, and sweet chili. I’m kind of obsessed with beans and the almonds gave the dish a good crunch.

The Shed has an impressive wine list, some of which they serve not only by the glass or bottle, but also by the carafe. In addition, the service was phenomenal. This is my favorite of the trendy farm to table restaurants that I’ve been to recently.

122 Palace Garden Terrace W8 4RT. For more information visit their website. 

St. John Bread and Wine

St. John, known for their “nose to tail” cooking, is something of a London foodie institution. Almost a decade after the first location opened, St. John opened a new location across the street from Spitalfields Market with the same approach to food but in a slightly less formal setting. I’ve actually been to St. John Bread and Wine before, as the first stop on the Eating London food tour, but I’d been itching to back and try some of their more creative dishes.

Ashley and I got a last minute table on a Tuesday night and went in with extremely high expectations. Possibly too high of expectations, but I’ll address that later. We shared four dishes: pressed pig’s ear, duck ham with quince and walnuts, calf’s brains with brown butter and capers, and foie gras and duck liver toast. The standout dish of the night was the duck ham, dried and cured duck breast made in the style of prosciutto. The crunchy walnuts and sweet quince were a perfect accompaniment to the salty duck.

The rest of the dishes though were just alright. I enjoyed the calf’s brains but they’ll hardly go down as a dish I’ll remember years to come. Same with the liver. Our other complaint was that almost everything we ordered came served with toast, something we wished the server would have told us. Maybe it was bad ordering or too high of expectations, but I was a bit let down. Maybe I’ll have to try the original location for a better idea of what St. John has to offer.

94-96 Commercial Street E1 6LZ. For more information visit their website. 

Broadway Market

I love a good London market. There’s plenty of selection and it’s fun to make a multi-ethnic, multi-course day of it. Broadway Market, held every Saturday in Hackney, is a nice combination of prepared food vendors, food producers, and both new and vintage clothing.

My only complaint with Broadway Market is that there are so many vendors that it makes choosing what to eat difficult. This time I decided to try some Ghanian food, a cuisine that I know next to nothing about. The beef stew that I had was simple but delicious. The meat was tender and there was just enough spice.

After wandering around the market for a bit Ashley and I got a piece of caramel cheesecake to-go and sat in nearby London Fields enjoying the sunny springtime weather.

Broadway Market E8 4PH. For more information visit their website. 

Okan

Okonomiyaki, a savory Japanese pancake, was one of my favorite food discoveries in Tokyo. Originally from the Kansai and Hiroshima regions of Japan, this dish is made of a batter consisting of flour, yam, water, dashi, eggs and shredded cabbage. Then staying true to its name “as you want”, other ingredients like squid, pork, and vegetables are added in. Once grilled, the whole thing is topped with Japanese mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce, and bonito flakes.

Okan, located in Brixton Village, is a tiny restaurant that specializes in this dish. I got a kind of Korean-ized version with kimchi and pork belly which was delicious. The portions are huge (I probably should have stopped halfway through) and the prices, for London, are pretty cheap. I will definitely be back when I need a little Asian food fix.

Brixton Village SW9 8PR. For more information visit their website. 

What was the best thing you ate this month?

What I Ate in London: March is a post from: Farsickness

Without further ado, my February favorites:

Seoul Bakery 

Don’t let the name fool you, cakes, except in the rice or fish form, are nowhere to be found at Seoul Bakery. Instead, this tiny cafe serves up simple Korean favorites at cheap for London prices. I came here on Lunar New Year weekend for a bit of celebration. The first thing that made me happy? They have metal chopsticks! This may seem stupid, but you don’t find plastic or wood chopsticks in Korea and it always feels weird to tuck into a Korean meal with the non-metal variety.

Seoul Bakery kind of reminded me of a Korean kimbap restaurant. The menu was smaller but there were the same kinds of offerings- ddeokbokki, kimbap, jjigaes, bibimbap, and the like. I had a bowl of kimchi jjigae, and while it was a little small and lacking in pork belly, the taste was spot on. I also got a tuna kimbap to go for dinner later that night and biting into that instantly brought back memories of day hikes and field trips.

55 St Giles High Street WC2H 8LH.

Mama Lan

This was my standout meal for the month of February. I’ve already talked about my love of Brixton Village, but I didn’t go into specifics about my favorite find. Mama Lan does Beijing style street food. And they do it very well. The menu is small, two types of noodles and a few varieties of dumplings, but this is

The spicy beef noodle soup made me feel like I was back in Asia slurping down noodles on a tiny plastic stool under a tarp on the side of the road. The broth had some serious depth of flavor and that perfect level of spice that isn’t just hot for the sake of being hot. Spice that actually adds to the dish. The noodles themselves reminded me of my beloved kalguksu- medium thickness with some good chew.

I also had some dumplings which were good, but these noodles. These noodles are it.

Brixton Village Market SW9 8PR. For more information visit their website.

Four to Eight 

Okay, this is moderately self serving but I ate here twice this month and it was really good so…

Four to Eight is an Italian restaurant that is opening in Covent Garden later this year. I’m their social media intern. I’ve been working with them since late last year and it has been really fun to see what goes on behind the scenes of opening a restaurant. Plus, the group of people behind this endeavor are really great.

In February we had two tasting dinners in order to give the chefs some practice and get some feedback about potential menu items. These dinners made me very excited about the restaurant’s opening. For the most part everything exceeded my expectations and exemplified Four to Eight’s motto of ‘beautiful simple dining’.

What did we eat? Seared diver scallops. A warm salad with radicchio, guanciale, and smoked scamorza. Sea bass with a butternut squash and kale ragout. Buttermilk panna cotta. Red millet and risotto. Slow cooked ribeye. Olive oil cake with poached pears.

Coming soon to Covent Garden! For more information (please) follow our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or blog.

Sushi Waka

A couple of weeks I had a night out with uni friends that began at Sushi Waka, a small Japanese joint in Camden. Going out with people who live in different parts of the city is usually a good way to discover some “local” gems, and this was no exception. We sat upstairs, where all the seating is on the floor, amid Japanese art on wood paneled walls. One of my fellow students is Japanese and even he thought this place was authentic.

We ordered a bunch of stuff to share- huge platters of sushi and sashimi, tempura vegetables, gyoza, and fried chicken. I’m a person who always thinks sushi isn’t anything special. Then I eat good sushi and am reminded that it is actually amazing when it doesn’t come prepackaged from the grocery store. At Sushi Waka there is one sushi chef, a very old man who obviously knows what he is doing and takes great pride in his work.

Sushi Waka is also great value for money. I had two beers, left absolutely stuffed, and only paid £20 for my portion of the bill.

75 Parkway NW1 7PP. For more information visit their website.

The White Horse

One of my favorite things about England is pub culture. Pubs are more than a place to drink, they serve as a community gathering place. The White Horse is about a two minute walk from my flat and I guess you could call it my local. The White Horse is firmly in gastropub territory with a changing seasonal menu and even though they are owned by Fuller’s, they serve Frontier, a “craft” beer they produce.

My birthday was luckily enough on a Thursday, the same night as the pub quiz, so I had a little birthday dinner here. I had one of the day’s specials: pheasant breast, confit pheasant leg cake, butternut squash rosti, parsnip, honey glazed broccoli, and wine pearls. The pheasant was flavorful and not dry and it went well with the rosti and parsnip. My complaint, though, is that the broccoli was frozen. I don’t understand how you can get away serving frozen broccoli in any restaurant these days, but especially one that prides itself on sourcing locally.

Frozen veg aside, I’ll be back. I still haven’t won the pub quiz.

14-16 Worple Way TW10 6DF. For more information visit their website.

What I Ate in London: February is a post from: Farsickness

I’ve decided to document some of my favorite London food finds in a monthly roundup. Because I only decided to do this about midway through the month, a lot of the photos in this post are rather low quality iPhone pictures. I apologize!

Manuka Kitchen

This is technically cheating because I ate at Manuka Kitchen on December 31, but it was such a great meal that I felt it had to be written about on this blog. My friends and I made a last minute New Year’s Eve booking at this restaurant after Googling places near Fulham. The reviews were phenomenal and the menu looked creative and interesting. It was something different than your average high street chain.

Bone marrow and saffron arancini.

It was hard to decide what to order, so we decided to go with a variety of small plates to share. The bone marrow and saffron arancini were a little dry, but everything else was delicious. I particularly liked the dandelion and goats curd crostini and the crispy squid with black lime sauce.

The prices at Manuka Kitchen are very reasonable and the small restaurant has a cozy ambience. I will definitely be back to try more of the menu, especially as they are relatively close to home in Southwest London.

510 Fulham Road SW6 5NJ. For more information visit their website.

Gourmet Burger Kitchen

I woke up on New Year’s day craving something greasy. Because I’d just returned from Italy, my cupboards were bare and my refrigerator was empty. Enter GBK, the popular UK burger chain, which was luckily open. I usually shy away from chain restaurants, but GBK is an example of a way to do a chain right. They source all their beef from the West Country and make all of the sauces fresh daily in each restaurant’s kitchen.

I chose the fattiest burger on the menu, The Camemburger- camembert, a hash brown, truffle mayo, onion jam, and relish in a brioche bomb. This will probably help lead to my eventual heart attack, but damn if it wasn’t worth it. The burger was rich, but I ate every last bite. The shoestring fries were delicious, and though I didn’t have one, the milk shakes looked spot on.

Various locations. For more information visit their website.

Taqueria

A lot of what claims to be Mexican food in the UK is really just not good. It’s not even that it is bad Mexican, it is more like a failed attempt at the American Tex-Mex. This poses a problem when I’m craving tacos. Back in November when I met the lovely Ceri for dinner and drinks she recommended Taqueria in Notting Hill for legit Mexican. She lived in Mexico for two years, so I trusted her recommendation and finally went to check the place out one Sunday afternoon.

Taqueria makes their corn tortillas in-house daily and offers a wide variety of authentic tacos as well as dishes like huevos rancheros, chilaquiles, and tostadas. I had the huarache, a round corn tortille topped with steak, refried beans, guacamole, jalapeno, tomato, onions, and cilantro. I’d never tried this dish before but it hit that Mexican spot. I want to go back and try their tacos, hopefully during Taco Happy Hour (Monday-Thursday 4pm-7pm).

139-143 Westbourne Grove W11 2RS. Fore more information visit their website.

The London Particular

I spend no more time in New Cross than I need to. Not because it isn’t cool (I wouldn’t know, I don’t spend enough time there), but because by the time class is over I usually want to get home ASAP and on the days when I don’t have class I’m not too keen on making the over and hour journey there just for fun. Thus, I haven’t really checked out what New Cross has to offer in terms of food outside the Goldsmiths’ Costa.

Now that I have a 3 hour break in my Tuesday schedule this has changed. So the first week of term I went to check out The London Particular, a tiny restaurant serving what they call “classic English with a modern twist”. Everything is prepared in the restaurant with fresh, high quality, and seasonal ingredients. They aim to source all of their ingredients from small suppliers as locally as possible.

The menu changes often, with specials written on a big chalkboard on the wall. I had Jerusalem artichoke and celeriac fritters served with fried spinach, a poached egg, homemade horseradish, and a side salad. It was a simple dish done really well, one that let the freshness of the ingredients shine. I think The London Particular will become a New Cross staple for me.

399 New Cross Road SE14 6LA. For more information visit their website.

New Culture Revolution

My flatmate Claire has been raving about this place since I moved here. I don’t think a week has gone by when she hasn’t mentioned the amazing noodles and spectacular dumpings of New Culture Revolution in Chelsea. Last week we set up a lunch date so I could finally see if this place lived up to all the hype in our flat.

New Culture Revolution focuses on the cuisine of Northern China, where wheat is a more substantial part of the diet, rather than rice like the rest of China. Thus there is a focus on dumplings and noodles which are made fresh for the restaurant.

We shared a bowl of chao mian with prawns, beef, and chicken and also a selection of their dumplings. The xiao long bao were unfortunately not up to Din Tai Fung standards, but the shrimp wontons and grilled pork and Chinese leaves dumplings were phenomenal. The prices were reasonable, especially considering the location, and the noodle portion was more than generous.

New Culture Revolution definitely lived up to the hype.

305 Kings Road SW3 5EP. For more information visit their website.

If you’re looking to come to London, whether it be to eat at some of the wonderful restuarants or to see the historical sites, check out Accor hotels. They offer some great deals in an expensive city.

Disclaimer: Though this post was sponsored by a third party, it was written completely by me and all opinions are my own. I ate at all these places and paid for all meals myself. 

What I Ate in London: January is a post from: Farsickness